1. Field of the Invention
This invention concerns novel bisexual attractants for codling moth and other species of Lepidoptera. In particular, the invention concerns attractants isolated from pear or apple volatiles which have superior and selective attractancy for adult codling moths and other lepidopterous species. These attractants also attract, aggregate and/or arrest larvae of these species. The invention further concerns a method for monitoring, control, mass trapping and mating disruption of codling moth and other lepidopterous species. The method includes luring the pest to a formulation containing the attractant, aggregant or arrestant of the invention, alone, or in combination with a sex pheromone and/or another kairomone and/or insecticide.
2. Background and Related Disclosures
Insect pests, particularly insects of the order Lepidoptera, such as codling moth, are responsible for substantial losses of fruit and nut crops. Currently, the most often utilized systems for monitoring and controlling these insect pests are compositions comprised of an attractant, almost always a sex pheromone attractant, optionally in combination with an insect killing substance, such as an insecticide. The majority of the baits or traps utilize sex pheromones that attract only males. While these traps and baits provide a certain degree of monitoring information and control, they are not effective in attracting the females, which are responsible for reproduction, nor larvae, which are responsible for damaging fruits and nuts.
Semiochemicals are behavior modifying chemicals acting as chemical signals that elicit certain behaviors from other individuals of either the same species (i.e., pheromones) or from other species (i.e., kairomones and allomones). The best known semiochemicals are pheromones.
Over 1600 insect pheromones have now been identified. Typically, the sex pheromones are produced and released by females at the time of mating to attract conspecific male insects. Since females are responsible for laying eggs and since each female may lay large numbers of eggs during one season, it is very important to monitor and control females in addition to males. The sex pheromones used in lures or baits, however, in general, only attract the male insect. Thus, the real purpose of luring or killing insect pests is unfulfilled because even one fertile female may lay enough eggs to substantially infest a large area. Also, lures and baits for larvae are needed which would intercept and kill the larvae before they damage fruit and nut crops.
The use of sex pheromones for attracting and killing an insect pest is thus of limited utility. It would be very advantageous to provide substances which would attract males and attract and/or modify the behavior of females and/or their larval offspring.
Kairomones, the second type of semiochemicals, are typically odoriferous volatile compounds from plants, which are recognized by the insect pests and aid them in locating suitable host plants. Their value as insect pest attractants has been previously recognized and many attempts were made to utilize kairomones as insect pest attractants. The primary advantage of kairomones is that in most cases they attract both males and females. However, typically they are not very well detected by individual insect species and, therefore, lack general utility as useful attractants.
Chemotropic utility of various fermenting baits was already recognized in 1943, when molasses and yeast containing baits with or without the addition of shelf chemicals were tested for their chemotropic utility. This work is described in J. Econ. Entomology, 36: 430 (1943).
The unrelated and chemically distinct sesquiterpene, (E,E)-xcex1-(-farnesene has been recognized as a larval attractant since 1972, as described in Nature, 239:170 (1972).
Sensitivity of antennae of male and female insect of the order of Coleoptera was studied with regard to conspecific aggregation pheromones, allomones and host-produced odorants. The lowest antennal sensitivity was observed for host produced odorants (J. Chem. Ecol., 9:585 (1983)).
Attractivity of volatile components of starthistle flower for flies and weevils was described in J. Agric. Food Chem., 34: 786 (1986). Tomato leaf volatile aroma components are described in J. Agric. Food Chem., 35: 1039 (1987).
Electroantennogram responses of the oriental fruit fly to a spectrum of alcohol and aldehyde plant volatiles are described in Entomologia Experimentalis et Aplicata, 45: 55 (1987) and in J. Chem. Ecol., 14: 159 (1988), and to volatile constituents of nectarines in Entomol. Exp. Appl. 63: 13 (1992). J. Chem. Ecol., 22: 1735 (1996) describes electroantennogram responses of Lepidoptera to volatile compounds from moth-pollinated flowers. Headspace examination of volatile emission of organic compounds from ripening papaya is described in J. Agric. Food Chem., 38: 105 (1990).
Chemoecology, 4: 175 (1993) describes enhancement of sex pheromone attraction with green leaf volatiles for tobacco budworm. The synergistic effect of host-plant green-leaf on the synthetic sex pheromones of the corn earworm and codling moth is described in Chemoecology, 4: 145 (1993).
Plant volatiles were shown to evoke and modulate tephritid behavior (Fruit Fly Pests, Part II, 123-134 (1996), Eds. McPheron, B. and Steck G., St. Lucie Press, Debray Beach, Fla.).
U.S. Pat. No. 5,665,344 describes volatiles of Japanese honeysuckle flowers as attractants for adult lepidopterous insects.
However, as described in all the above references, the host-plant volatiles are typically used in combinations of several volatiles and these mixtures show weak attractancy over the background plant volatile odors that are present in the environment.
It would, therefore, be advantageous to provide semiochemicals which would attract adult insects of both sexes and the larvae, but primarily, which would attract the female insect responsible for reproduction and attract, aggregate or arrest the larvae responsible for crop damage.
It is, therefore, a primary objective of the current invention to provide semiochemical kairomonal attractants which would strongly attract both the female and male adult insect pests as well as the larvae to monitoring traps, lure-kill traps or baits and in this way attract, aggregate, arrest and/or kill the adult males and particularly the adult reproductive females and the larvae and which would also provide monitoring tools and control and protection of crops from the insect pest.
All patents, patent applications and publications cited herein are hereby incorporated by reference.
One aspect of the current invention is a novel class of bisexual attractants for the codling moth (Cydia pomonella) and other lepidopterous species.
Another aspect of the invention is a bisexual attractant selective for female codling moth which is present in the odors and extracts of pome fruits.
Another aspect of the current invention is an attractant, aggregant or arrestant for larvae of lepidopterous species, particularly codling moth, which is present in the odors and extracts of pome fruits.
Still another aspect of the current invention are compounds, represented by pure ethyl (2E,4Z)-2,4-decadienoate or an isomer or a derivative thereof, which are bisexual adult attractants and larvae worm attractants, aggregants or arrestants for codling moth and other species of Lepidoptera.
Still yet another aspect of the current invention is a method for monitoring, control, mass trapping, and disruption of codling moth mating and invasion of fruit orchards and for protection of fruit crops, particularly pear, apple and walnut crops from the adult insects and larvae.
Still yet another aspect of the current invention is a method for capture of and elimination of codling moth by attracting both the female and male insects as well as the larvae by providing a formulation comprising a kairomonal attractant derived from the pear or apple, alone, or in a combination with a sex pheromone, other kairomone and/or insecticide.
Still yet another aspect of the current invention is a formulation placed in a lure-kill trap or a bait comprising a kairomone attractant derived from the pear or apple, alone, or in a combination with a sex pheromone, other kairomone and/or insecticide, or in admixture with other volatile compounds for attracting, aggregating or arresting adult insects and larvae of lepidopterous species wherein said formulation is in a sprayable, solid or liquid form or in a time release form and wherein said formulation is placed in a trap, trap-like station, trap-like enclosure or trap-like platform.
Still another aspect of the current invention is a lure-kill trap or bait comprising a kairomone attractant derived from the pear or apple, alone, or in a combination with a sex pheromone, other kairomone and/or insecticide.
Still another aspect of the current invention are purified compounds isolated from a pear extract, their isomers or derivatives purified up to at least 90% purity which are attractants, aggregants or arrestants for adult insects and larvae of lepidopterous species, said attractant, aggregant or arrestant comprising one or more pear extract components.